Part 448

Skirl"crake` (?), n. The turnstone. [Prev. Eng.]

Skirl"ing, n. A shrill cry or sound; a crying shrilly; a skirl. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

When the skirling of the pipes cleft the air his cold eyes softened.

Mrs. J. H. Ewing.

Skirl"ing, n. (Zoöl.) A small trout or salmon; -- a name used loosely. [Prov. Eng.]

Skir"mish (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Skirmished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Skirmishing.] [OE. skirmishen, scarmishen, OF. escremir, eskermir, to fence, fight, F. escrimer, of German origin; cf. OHG. scirmen to protect, defend, G. schirmen, OHG. scirm, scerm, protection, shield, G. schirm; perhaps akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a sunshade. Cf. Scaramouch, Scrimmage.] To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish or skirmishes; to act as skirmishers.

Skir"mish, n.[OE. scarmishe, scrymishe. See Skirmish, v. i.] 1. A slight fight in war; a light or desultory combat between detachments from armies, or between detached and small bodies of troops.

2. A slight contest.

They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit.

Shak.

Skir"mish*er (?), n. One who skirmishes. Specifically: pl. (Mil.) Soldiers deployed in loose order, to cover the front or flanks of an advancing army or a marching column.

Skirr (?), v. t. [Cf. Scur, Scurry.] To ramble over in order to clear; to scour. [Archaic] Shak.

Skirr, v. i. To scour; to scud; to run. [Archaic]

Skirr, n. (Zoöl.) A tern. [Prov. Eng.]

Skir"ret (?), n. [A corrupted form equivalent to sugarwort.] (Bot.) An umbelliferous plant (Sium, or Pimpinella, Sisarum). It is a native of Asia, but has been long cultivated in Europe for its edible clustered tuberous roots, which are very sweet.

Skir"rhus (?), n. (Med.) See Scirrhus.

Skirt (?), n. [OE. skyrt, of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. skyrta a shirt, Sw. skört a skirt, skjorta a shirt. See Shirt.] 1. The lower and loose part of a coat, dress, or other like garment; the part below the waist; as, the skirt of a coat, a dress, or a mantle.

2. A loose edging to any part of a dress. [Obs.]

A narrow lace, or a small skirt of ruffled linen, which runs along the upper part of the stays before, and crosses the breast, being a part of the tucker, is called the modesty piece.

Addison.

3. Border; edge; margin; extreme part of anything "Here in the skirts of the forest." Shak.

4. A petticoat.

5. The diaphragm, or midriff, in animals. Dunglison.

Skirt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Skirted; p. pr. & vb. n. Skirting.] 1. To cover with a skirt; to surround.

Skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold.

Milton.

2. To border; to form the border or edge of; to run along the edge of; as, the plain was skirted by rows of trees. "When sundown skirts the moor." Tennyson.

Skirt, v. t. To be on the border; to live near the border, or extremity.